Dependence, the Aftermath
by ObsessiveDevil
Summary: The loose ends of Dependence get tied up at the beginning of the Marauder's sixth year, featuring some more Severus and James and some more Sirius and Lily. Remus and Regulus also show up. SSJP SBLE


-1**Dependence, the Aftermath.**

**Harry Potter**

**ObsessiveDevil23**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I am not making any money from this.**

**Note: This isn't really a sequel, I thought I was done with this, but I was re-reading the last chapter, and realised there was a lot of loose ends I hadn't really tied up. So, I just thought I'd show you what happened to our favourite characters, come the beginning of year 6. Plus, one of my reviewers wasn't happy with just one little kiss after all that drama.**

Dependence, the Aftermath.

The summer had rolled to a definite end, and Autumn was making itself known with the colouring of the leaves that they had loved so well in their green glory. Platform Nine and Three Quarters was busy with the excited yells of first years and the sobs of mothers loosing their children for another year at Hogwarts. The train was whistling almost angrily, impatiently awaiting it's turn to run, and owls flew overhead; screeching greetings to their owl friends. The entire place screamed out its magic and overall happiness.

James was hot.

He still couldn't get used to the overbearing heat that effected him every Friday. Even though he'd spent all summer with the same feeling every week, he had, at that time, a knight in shining armour come to save the day.

"James, sweetie, are you okay?" Asked his mother, flapping around him with an air only flustered mother's can achieve (and only then when they were running late). He nodded, and just as he opened his mouth to tell her that all was fine, an owl dropped a package from above him. His hands shot out to catch it, and he smiled lightly as he read the formal writing he had become to accustomed to. He opened it and drowned the potion in just a few gulps, instantly feeling it's relief. "Much better." He said afterwards, smiling at his mother.

"That boy is so kind to you." She replied, and James rolled his eyes, although he knew she spoke the truth as of late. Severus, of course, was still awkward to be around, but that little detail seemed miniscule when he reminded himself that this was also the person James loved. Somehow, he even loved Severus' insecurities, his sadism, his need to be in control. Everything about Severus was… addicting.

"He's a bundle of joy all the time." He agreed, albeit somewhat sarcastically. He and Severus Snape had reached this agreement almost one year ago, and while it had not been a smooth ride, he was glad to say that things had settled down somewhat since then. His orders, of course, had not exactly stopped, but had certainly been toned down.

Instead of trying to publicly humiliate James, as had been Severus' original plan, he'd changed his tune, and the orders James received nowadays were usually centred around… He blushed, and put it down to the heat, despite the fact that the heat was steadily slipping away from him now, thanks to Severus' painkiller.

"Well" His father said, checking his watch. "I've really got to go, have a good year son." He added, ruffling the boys already unkempt hair, and leaving, his wife in toe. She gave him an affectionate kiss before hand, making James bat her off. He was sixteen now for Merlin's sake! He nodded as he watched them leave, running his own hand through said untidy hair, and turning on his heel to search out his friends in the crowd. He instantly spotted Sirius, if only for the fact that the dog had jumped on him in a flurry of limbs and (totally manly) squeaks.

"Hello Beautiful!" His friend all but squealed, untangling himself from the Quidditch player. James blinked, then grinned.

"You're coming back this year?" He asked, already knowing the answer. If he wasn't, then why would he be on the platform? Walburga wouldn't let him come if he just wanted to say 'hi' to his friends. Sirius nodded, shrugging slightly.

"Have you seen Remy?" He asked, looking around, "And Lily…" He blushed lightly, still looking around, though now with the sort of determination people only get when trying not to look someone in the eye. James chuckled.

"Haven't seen either." He smirked. "You'd be seeing more of Lily then me." he added. Sirius and Lily weren't together, but were certainly spending a lot of time in each others company. The two were completely clueless, despite the fact that Lily obviously liked him, and Sirius was inclined to like her too, they were dodging about the subject like it was nuclear bomb.

Sirius frowned.

"Well, you know, with her sister and all…"

James nodded. That was pretty much Sirius' explanation every time Lily was mentioned.

"Anyway, what about you and Snape?" Sirius asked, trying to sound nonchalant and coming out a little squeaky. Severus and Sirius were never going to be best buddies, but the two put up with each other, and Sirius couldn't exactly get over his guilt that he'd tried to kill the guy. James blushed, making Sirius chuckle. The roles had just been switched, and all it had taken was one little question. Damn, Sirius knew how to mess with him.

"You know… Just, co-existing." James lied, staring with a fierce intensity at his feet. Sirius made an 'ahhh' sound, showing how much he didn't believe his friend. James blushed and started to carry on, trying to justify himself and make Sirius believe him. "I mean-"

"Honey-pooh!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping out of James' line of sight. The boy turned to see a rather ruffled looking werewolf, his arm wrapped loosely around Sirius. Remus sighed.

"It's good to see you too." He said, and Sirius pulled back, biting his lip.

"I haven't seen you all summer, and I just wanted to say… again, that…"

Remus hit him upside the head.

"I swear if you say 'sorry' one more time I'll rip your tongue out come next full moon. How many owls did you send? I get it already. Just shut up."

Sirius obediently shut up, snapping his mouth closed and looking sheepish; making both his friends laugh. They turned to the train, silence settling over them as they took in the magnificent sight.

"It's gunna be weird." James suddenly said, wringing his hands out in front of him as he looked at the scarlet engine. It felt weird, he added in his mind, this scene felt surreal, after all that had happened last year.

"Going back?" asked Remus, resting a hand lightly on the boys shoulder, his tone suggested that he knew exactly how James felt. James shrugged.

"I guess, going back… without Pete."

Each boy stiffened, none saying anything about their ex-friend, but letting silence do all the talking for them. Sirius was the first one to break it, never being one to like the quiet.

"I still can't believe how badly I was fooled by him." He whispered, head bowed. He'd been contacted by James as soon as Dumbledore had told the boy where Pete had run off to. As soon as Regulus had returned home Sirius had clung to him like a lost puppy, unable to believe that he'd trusted Peter over his own brother, that he'd been fooled so easily.

Remus patted him sympathetically.

"We were all fooled. But, at least we now know, before it became too late." He said, then took a step forward. He turned and gave his friends a grin. "This is our sixth year at Hogwarts. Next year we have NEWTS, so, we should enjoy this year as much as we can." He said, grabbing both their hands and leading them on to the train. They found a compartment that was empty and sat down heavily, each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Next year was NEWTS, James reminded himself. It was weird, how they'd come to be at this point. In two years time they'd be out of school completely, finding jobs, getting married and thinking about children. Who knew? By that time Sirius and Lily could be together, Remus could be teaching or something (James thought Remus would make a good teacher), and the Dark Lord may have risen or fallen. Either way, Peter would go with him.

"Hey? Can I sit here?" asked a recognisable voice, and James looked up to see a familiar shock of red hair and pretty green eyes.

"Sure." Said Sirius, patting the seat beside him, before either other party had a chance to say anything different - not that they would. Lily smiled, sitting down comfortably next to the boy.

"You know, Petunia came to Kings Cross to see me off this year." She told him, and Sirius grinned at her. "It's nice, that we're talking again." she added, giving Sirius a pointed look.

"Regulus and I talk." The boy defended, then he relaxed, looking out the window. "We spent the whole summer together, mainly just talking. I thought I'd never forgive him for joining with that bastard, but… Reggie isn't a bad person." He sighed.

"We know that." Lily supplied, resting a hand on his arm in a comforting gesture.

"He was just a scared kid when he took that mark." Sirius resting his head against the glass of the window. "Maybe I should have been there for him more? Maybe then he wouldn't have…? But… even now, after all, he's still my brother, so… even if he has that mark on his arm… I know that he's still good at heart. Like, with brotherly sense or something"

Lily nodded, trying not to laugh at the boys reasoning, and so did James and Remus (having less success in trying not to laugh). It was rare, that Sirius would just go ahead and speak so openly, especially about his brother. Everybody had known that Sirius was protective of Regulus, and how they had been growing apart in the last year, so it was nice to know they still thought about each other. Sirius had become so guarded, never letting people see his real emotions, yet with Lily around his was beginning to be honest with everyone again.

"I think I'm going to gag."

Sirius turned sharply, as did James. Sirius glared, but James smiled, standing.

"Severus." He said, voice soft. Sirius snorted and James blushed, sending his friend a glare. The Slytherin waved dismissively at the compartment.

"We need to talk." He said, beckoning James to follow him and leading them out of the compartment and down the corridor. They walked in silence, James trailing a little behind, until Severus came to a standstill.

"What is-"

He melted, as he always seemed to do, when Severus pulled him forward, wrapping one arm around his waist and the other guiding his head into the right position for a kiss. He rested his hands on the taller boys shoulders and let his eyes slip closed, sighing a little into the kiss. He willingly opened his mouth to allow the other access when Severus' tongue darted out to lick at his lips. They moulded into each other, both exploring the others mouth with their tongues as if it was completely knew territory to them - which, when all was said and done, it really wasn't. How many times had Severus surprised him like this, with kisses and quick make-out sessions, and then just walked away afterwards as if nothing was out of the ordinary? And how many times would James let him? How many times would James allow Severus to mess him around, simply because he was inconceivably and irrationally in love with the bastard?

"This year, I have a very special order for you." The man said, letting James pull back a little to breathe. The boy let his brow furrow, breathing heavy and inwardly begging Severus to lean forward again for another round. He nodded, though his mind was not completely with it. How was it that whenever Severus was close to him he lost all semblance of logical thought?

"Wh - what is it?" He asked, voice still unusually soft, as it often was when Severus was around. The boy, despite being a jerk, and a sadist, and James' worst enemy until just a year ago, had the unimaginable ability to knock James off him feet every time they were in the same room. Yet, somehow, James didn't even mind.

Severus leant forward again, wrapping his arms more securely around the smaller boy, and pressed a quick, lightly pressured kiss to the boy, effectively turning the boy to mush. It was almost chaste (almost because James had come to realise that nothing Severus did was ever chaste), and still, James was reduced to a gelatinous pile of goo in the man's arms.

"This year, I order you to forget everything that happened last year."

James went to protest, and ask why, but was cut off by another kiss which left him feeling heavy and contented. He closed his eyes, leaning slightly on the Slytherin.

"I want you to forget everything, that we even struck up this deal… from now on I'm not giving you orders."

James' eyes snapped open.

"Why?" He asked, biting his lip. Did that mean that Severus didn't want to do any of it anymore? What was he trying to get at, why was he… He moaned quietly as Severus invaded his mouth again. Once the boy pulled away, James realised his eyes had become heavy and clouded in lust. Yet, between all of that, was another emotion that James hadn't seen in Severus' black eyes before.

"I realised over the summer that I really can't get enough of you." The man said honestly, and James noticed in that one moment that Severus was completely out in the open. These were his honest feelings, and for this moment in time, he wasn't in control. James, feeling bold in this new discovery, let his hand travel from the other's shoulders, to his cheek, stroking it gently and fondly.

"That doesn't mean you have to stop the orders." He replied, feeling a tenderness in his heart he seemed to get whenever Severus showed a side of himself that wasn't the demeaning, sadistic side of him. Severus nodded.

"I know… but this isn't just lust anymore James." He averted his eyes, catching James' hand and holding it firmly. "I… I'm not going to say it… But, I don't want everything to be overshadowed by the fact that I'm the only person able to keep you alive."

James shrugged.

"There isn't really much we can do about that."

"James… You say you love me, that's the truth right?"

James stiffened, blushing slightly, then nodded.

"Of course."

"Then… I want you to know that I'd make this potion for you even if you never did a single thing I asked of you. And… I want to _ask_ you, to ask you and not order you, to…" He trailed off, obviously having a hard time trying to say what he wanted to. James bit his lip, wanting to help out but also not wanting to take the chance and get it wrong. He squeezed the hand holding his affectionately, as if trying to convey every feeling he felt for this boy through their connected fingers.

"Severus…" He paused, licking his lips, "Would you… do you want to… date me?"

Severus coughed, the blush covering his cheeks completely uncharacteristic, but nodded nonetheless, giving James a thankful look. James grinned, leaning forward again, and capturing the boys lips. Taking the first move would have been risky and would have resulted in a break in contract all over five minutes ago. Now… It felt natural. He sighed contently. Yes, this was natural.

- X -

Remus walked out of the compartment, shaking his head and trying not to revert back to his childhood by making pretend gagging movements. He closed the door behind him and almost walked headfirst into a smaller look-a-like of Sirius. Regulus.

"Oh, hi." He said in surprise. Regulus looked up, eyes widening slightly.

"Sorry Lupin, I didn't see you."

"Nor I you." Remus laughed, then looked behind him at the compartment door he'd just closed. "Were you looking for Sirius… He's a little 'busy'."

Regulus made a face, knowing exactly what 'busy' meant.

"Why the hell is everyone making out?" He asked, not really expected a response. "What, with Lily? They finally got together?" He asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall of the train's interior. Remus nodded.

"What do you mean everyone's making out?" The werewolf asked, curiosity spiked, taking a very small step towards the other boy, and away from the compartment. Regulus shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"On the way here I had to pass by Severus and Potter practically sucking each other's face off." He explained, making another displeased face at the memory. Remus rose a well-shaped eyebrow, glancing down the corridor, though not actually expecting to see the two boys. He had to control himself not to make the same face as his younger friend.

"Is that so…?" He asked, trying not to imagine the two, although trying to block out images often just encourage them. Regulus nodded, and a small silence followed. That is, of course, until Regulus got the tiniest of cheeky smiles that was reminiscent of his older brothers.

"So, how about it?" he asked, and Remus gave him a confused look.

"How about what?" the older boy wondered back. Regulus' cheeky smile spread into a grin that was an exact copy of his brothers.

"How about we make out." He explained, in all confidence. Remus' eyes widened and he started a coughing fit in a way that was thoroughly ineloquent. Regulus just laughed.

"Don't worry, I _was_ joking." He said, "Unless, of course, you wanna?"

Remus glared, and Regulus grinned.

Oh, this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

**Well, I hope everyone enjoyed that… Remus and Regulus do make me smile…**

**Please check out 'Fated' which is a new Marauder fan fiction I'm doing centred around Sirius - if you're interested. **

**I appreciate your reviews!**

**~Od23**


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